The Rev. Al Sharpton is inserting himself into the 2008 presidential race – giving John Kerry (left) a major platform by inviting the Massachusetts Democrat to speak at his annual Midtown conference.

Sharpton said Sen. Kerry will be the keynote speaker at a breakfast at the eighth annual National Action Network event next month – on Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s home-state turf.

“We asked him to give an address as the last presidential nominee of the Democratic Party . . . to hear where he sees us going,” Sharpton told The Post.

The move gives Kerry, who is considering another White House run, a forum, while Clinton is merely being asked to attend the event.

Sharpton has been jabbing at Clinton, scoffing at Bill Clinton’s reputation as the “first black president,” and questioning whether a Hillary Clinton White House run would include an urban agenda.

Sharpton said he supports Sen. Clinton, noting that she spoke at his Martin Luther King Day celebration, where she accused congressional GOPers of acting like “plantation” owners.

But he told The Post he still wants her to explain her positions before he lends his support.

“I don’t think anybody should be given a pass . . . and I don’t think anybody should be off limits,” he said.

Sharpton has been trying to carve out a spot on the national stage for years, and developed a relationship with Kerry during the 2004 campaign.